Caught in the Crossfire
by words end here
Summary: AU 3x16. Lucas and Peyton share a moment before a tragedy occurs and they discover to never pretend to a love which you do not actually feel, for love is not ours to command. Oneshot. LP.


**Caught in the crossfire**

**--**

_How many moments can you look back on and say…that's when it all changed?_

Lucas Scott had been through a lot in his life. Too much he thought sometimes, like twisted love triangles, broken promises and possible death. When he was seventeen and should have been having constant fun, after all he was now one of the school's stars. He had it all, for the first time in his life. It felt good that going through every thing he did, facing the next battle and the sacrifice was worth it now. Everyone was happy.

He had the girlfriend. She was like a china doll, beautiful and fragile. She was open to new possibilities and grabbed life by the reigns. She made him happy.

He had a great friend. She was gorgeous too, blond hair, green eyes and so sarcastic it was hard to tell sometimes. She was tortured and she hadn't been truly happy for a long time. He made a vow to help her through. He did it because it was something he wanted to do, almost an obligation.

He had a best friend. It was Haley and Lucas against the world, always had been and always would be.

He had a good brother who had learned from his mistakes. He'd had become a better man.

The muffled cry seized his attention immediately and he carefully stepped into the library. He held the baseball bat up, ready to attack and then his worst fear was confirmed.

There she was, in a pool of blood. Her eyes half open, her lips parted slightly and she smiled a lazy smile at him.

Lucas tossed the bat aside as he attended to her.

"I got shot, ya know?" Peyton remarked. "Just when things are bad they get worse…"

"I'm here, Peyton. Okay? I'll get you out of here, I promise. Just hang on for a while longer. A little more." He assured her. But his tone was frantic, afraid.

All his fragile strength was gone.

"I'm gonna die, Luke. Look at me." She replied knowingly, a tear rolling down her pale cheek.

"No ones dying, Peyton." He told her in a stern tone. He grabbed her hand and treasured it, as if it was keeping her alive.

In a way, it was.

"Brooke is outta here? Please tell me-

"She's safe." He informed her. "Now all we have to do is get you safe."

"I feel safe." She replied more calmly. It was a strange thing to say, considering she was lying in her own blood.

But then again, it was turning out to be one of those days.

They say that before you die, you see a light. You see your life flash before your eyes. For Peyton, there was no light or flashing images before her. All she saw was Lucas. And he was all she wanted to see. Because lets face it, _he is the one._

"I can't remember…" she began, he voice more feeble, "the last time we kissed."

Lucas stared at her, like he gazed at her many times before. He cleared his throat. Brooke, the girl he was pretty sure he was going to marry someday was outside, unsuspecting, hoping her hero would return with her best friend in his arms and that they'd get through this and live happily ever after.

"Peyton I…" he trailed off. He was going to say something along the lines of _"I don't remember either." _or _"I don't really want to remember." _But those were lies. And he wasn't about to lie to a girl that mattered when she was near death.

And it's not like he could forget.

He left her without a reply, because she had no right to torture him like this. Rehash the mistakes he made, because he was pretty sure Brooke was the one for him.

Why was he on the verge of kissing her, then?

He leaned in, carefully, afraid of breaking her or something because she was so fragile and weak. He placed his lips on hers, tentatively. It was innocent. Brooke would never have to know.

"Now you'll remember." He flashed a cocky smile at her and grabbed her hand again.

"You're a jackass, you know that?" She wanted to hit him on the arm playfully, but she didn't have that strength. "Lucas Scott, making girls cry since two thousand and three."

"I never made you cry." He said defensively.

"_Life's too short Peyton."_

"_Too short to live it as a bad person, Luke."_

"You were right." Peyton told him after a minute of silence. "Life's too short."

"Don't go all morbid on me, come on. You'll get out of here." He assured her. "I mean, you have so much to live for. Jake, Brooke…me. If you die, I'll kill you, you know that right?" He responded, trying his best to inject some humour. Peyton emitted a hollow laugh.

Peytons head flopped onto his shoulder and alerted him.

"Peyton?" He nudged her head upwards but her eyes weren't darting around urgently like they had been before.

Her pulse was fading.

"Don't." He murmured into her ear.

--

There he was her hero, in tears.

Brooke Davis had never seen Lucas cry before. And she was pretty sure he wasn't a whiner, no matter how broody he got. Yet here he was crying, unashamed.

She embraced him and hugged him. "Where is she?" She questioned with a mix of anticipation and complete dread. There's a terrible feeling. She knew she was gone, but it wasn't real to her. It couldn't be. It wasn't feasible, acceptable or possible. But she felt it and knew what was happening.

"She's gone." He whispered. "Peyton's gone…the one…I love her."

Too little, too late. The girlfriend didn't matter. The best friend, brother and basketball seemed suddenly less significant.

He didn't mean to say it. The whisper escaped his lips just as Peyton escaped from him.

Brooke let go.

Her eyes expanded and tears glazed her eyes. She didn't say a thing.

--

_there's still a little bit of your taste in my mouth  
there's still a little bit of you laced with my doubt  
it's still a little hard to say what's going on_

_--  
_

**A/N: **I hoped you liked (: and reviews make me do a little happy dance!


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